His Broken Submissive : Mercy

54 You Lied

Jonathan

My racing mind kept me up for half the night. By six am I decided to give up and head downstairs to let Izzy sleep still. Knowing that she lied to me has just eaten away at me.

I finish cutting up some fresh fruit to go with the frozen waffles I've pulled out. Izzy has a tendency to use cooking as a distraction and I want her full attention on me for this conversation. Depending on what she has to say, she may need to keep her strength up too.

Time ticks by and I debate about waking her up as I sip my coffee but decide against it. Overall, aside from that one hiccup, we had a great night. Once I reeled in my temper and we finished dinner, we danced the night away to the point I had to carry her in from the car.

Soft footfalls on the stairs draws my attention from the mug in my hands to the doorway where Izzy pauses. One look is all it takes for her demeanour to change to fully alert and weary.

"Sleep well?" I ask. She nods and I wave her over to the table. She looks at me like a caged animal as she cautiously moves to her spot.

"I did until you left," she whispers. I tick my jaw, uneasy with her answer. "Did I do something wrong?"

I set a glass of apple juice down for her along with her breakfast before moving mine over. She doesn't move, only watches as I sip my coffee. "Did you?" I counter.

She shifts in her seat and chews on her bottom lip, clearly unsure of what to do at this point.

"Eat Izabella," I order.

Izzy flinches but obeys, even though my voice wasn't raised. She gets to work, almost mechanically eating as her mind no doubt races. As much as I hate to let her spiral, I'd rather her come clean on her own than have to pull the truth from her.

I give up on my coffee halfway through, the brew tastes bitter in my mood and only agitates my already knotted stomach. The moment she finishes her last bite she moves to get up and put her plate away but my hand on her wrist freezes her solid.

"Jonathan," she whimpers, turning her watery gaze to me. "Why are you so upset?"

My gut twists painfully, hating to see her so uncertain and upset but trust is everything, and she has broken mine... Everything has consequences.

"Because you lied to me."

Her eyes go wide and crocodile tears start to fall as she shakes her head. "No, I would never!"

"You lied to me and when I tried to get you to come clean, you lied again!"

"Nooo." She sobs and it takes every ounce of my being not to gather her up and promise it will be alright.

"Why Izabella? Why did you lie to me, after everything we've been through I thought you trusted me?" I can't keep the bitter hurt out of my voice.

"I do!" She slides off her chair and kneels in front of me, clutching my pant leg for dear life. "I swear I didn't lie to you, please believe me!" Watching her lip quiver and the despair in her voice as she begs me to believe her makes me question my resolve... I swear she thinks she didn't...

I reach over for my phone and bring up the photo that Viktor texted me. Izzy's eyes go impossibly wide, her guilt written plainly across her face as she stares at it.

"Your memory becoming clearer?" I ask with a frown.

The picture clearly shows Loni strutting out of the bathroom moments before I got there, a twisted smirk on her manicured features. I know that look, it's never good when she has it.

"It's not what you think," she wails. Izzy crumples in defeat, dropping her head onto my thigh. I can't hold back any longer and scoop her up, placing her on my lap.

"Look at me Izabella," I say as I lift her chin. She hugs herself tightly and fights back sobs as she fixes her teary gaze on mine. "Why did you lie to me and say nothing happened when clearly something did?"

"But I didn't," she stubbornly replies. "Nothing happened. I went in and talked to Nat and we were cleaning up to leave and she showed up, but nothing happened!"

"Do you think I'm a fool?" I cup her cheek and furrow my brows, struggling with how to get through to her. She shakes her head as more tears stream down her cheeks. "Izzy, this is all about trust. When you hide things from me, I feel like you don't trust me... makes me wonder what else you're hiding from me."

"Nothing, I swear!" she blurts out.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "When you came out of the bathroom, you were agitated and distracted. That's the only reason you bumped into Becca. I knew the moment I saw you that you were upset, yet you wouldn't tell me why."

"I fell," she trails off.

"Izzy," I warn. "You were upset before you left the bathroom. Did she do something to you? Say something?" It gnaws at me that she just won't tell me what she's hiding.

Finally, a sliver of light shines at the end of the tunnel as she nods slightly. "She said something... But I remembered what you told me, the night of the party, and I just tried to push her words away. They don't matter, right?" Izzy looks up at me so raw and vulnerable that my chest tightens.

"You've got it, Angel." I kiss her on her forehead, trying to reassure her that she's right. Loni was vindictive when I severed ties with her, I can't stomach the thought of her getting her claws into Izzy.

"She's just jealous that you have what she wanted." I move Izzy's hand to my chest and hold it over my heart. "But why didn't you just tell me?"

"I didn't want to be weak," she whimpers. "I didn't want to admit that she got to me, even though I know better." Izzy's shoulders and gaze fall under the weight of her shame.

"Come here," I whisper. Izzy melts against me as I wrap my arms around her. "We can't help what we feel sometimes. Good or bad, our hearts have a mind of their own but if you bottle it up or hide it like that... secrets just eat us up."

"I didn't want you to be mad at me," she murmurs.

I crane my neck to look her in the eyes. "I'm not mad at you for being insecure Izabella. I'm hurt that you didn't trust me and felt the need to hide it. Angel, you know how important trust is for a relationship like ours..."

"I know, I swear I'll never hide that again... I was just afriad..." Her voice trails off to nothing leaving me hanging.

"Afraid of what Angel?"

She looks up at me, her breath hitching as she struggles to speak. "I can't lose you."

The pieces fall into place finally, shedding new light on the situation. "Izzy," I say, cupping her face in my hands. "Angel, you will never lose me. You can yell, and scream, and cry at me, but I will NEVER walk away from you, understood?"

Relief flashes in her eyes as a dam breaks and new tears flood out. Izzy nods, wraps her arms around my neck and buries her face in the crook of my neck as she lets it all out. I hook her legs around my waist and get up before carrying her over to the couch. This will leave her spent and after the shitty night's sleep I had, I could use a few hours of sleep too.

"I'm sorry." She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand as she settles in with me.

"Me too, Angel. No more secrets, right?" I ask.

"No more secrets," she agrees.

"Good girl." I boop her nose, earning a teary giggle and flick on the tv for background noise. Snuggled together with the air cleared she's out in no time and I'm right behind her.